The Bride from Bombay: History behind migration of Indian diaspora

Recently on March 16, there was an event held at the St Augustine campus of University of West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. The event pertained to the book launch of Bhanmatee Sita Gobin, titled "The Bride from Bombay".

Speaking at the event, Pro- Vice Chancellor Professor Clement Sankat said that this book launch comes at a very special juncture in the history of our country, as Trinidad and Tobago celebrates its 171st Indian Arrival Day, two months from now on May 30th! He added:"I have no doubt, that this book will be a great treasure for many others, including future scholars and researchers from around the world who are studying Indian indentured labourers into the Caribbean and the evolution of their lineage since then".

Born in an idyllic village on the east coast of Trinidad and Tobago, Bhanmatee Gobin belongs to a selected generation of university-educated East Indian women whose forefathers migrated from the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to the Caribbean as part of the Indian diaspora during the British taj rule. She is an educator by training and has dedicated and devoted her life to teaching and inspiring minds. Bhanmatee Gobin hails from an era of transition when East Indians in the West were struggling to balance the cultural norms and traditions with the progressive Western ideologies. She is one of the few modern-day authorities on the authentic East Indian experience in Trinidad and the West Indies through language, arts, music, and cultural traditions. She has lived in the United States for the past thirty years, where she has continued her career as an educator. This crossing of the Atlantic Ocean has given her a true and unique immigrant's perspective into life in the West. This experience has given her the inspiration to return to her roots through her debut literary piece, Bombay Kay Dulahin a.k.a The Bride from Bombay, a captivating historical memoir.

Buy The Bride from Bombay here.

The book review of The Bride From Bombay by Amazon is given below:-

At the turn of the nineteenth century, a widespread migration took place as a result of British colonialism. This migration was known as the Indian diaspora. It was a time when millions of East Indians would jump ship and leave India to be taken as indentured laborers to the far corners of the world to Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, and the West Indies-Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Guyana. The circumstances that surrounded this for many of the migrants were poverty, famine, and hopelessness. In the case of those sailing to Trinidad, it was under the lure of "chenee dad"-the land where sugar flows. Bombay Kay Dulahin is a story beyond the grasp of the historians. It is one woman's journey of overcoming the unthinkable through a vision and a dream. She was the daughter of East Indian immigrants in the emerging cosmopolitan society of Trinidad and Tobago. Cast off into an arranged marriage at the age of sixteen and possessing no more than a first-grade education, her strength, courage, and passion drive her to keep her vision and dream of breaking social and gender norms. The book discusses traditional East Indian arranged marriages, the age-old Hindu caste-system structure and traditions. It is a story that shows there are no boundaries and borders when it comes to the resiliency of human endurance, passion, and a mother's unconditional love, ensuring that her loved ones and family are influenced positively for generations to come. A story about love, faith, and hope.

The book is a must read for all the Indians as well as the Indians living abroad.

To buy the book, click here.